News · Press Release

Reagan Dunn Slammed by Local Press for “About-Face” on Abortion Rights

Dunn makes his extreme, anti-choice position clear 

WA-08 GOP primary candidate Reagan Dunn made a hard pivot to the right this week when he became the only King County councilmember to vote against protecting a woman’s right to choose.

Local outlets took note of Dunn’s “about-face” on abortion rights as he faces “pressure among the Republicans to stake out further right positions.” See what voters across Washington state are reading this week:

Seattle Times: King County’s Reagan Dunn votes against abortion rights in apparent about-face
David Gutman
May 11, 2022

  • Throughout his nearly two decades in public office, King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn has described himself as supportive of abortion rights.

  • But on Tuesday, as the Metropolitan King County Council voted on a symbolic piece of legislation to affirm its support of abortion rights, Dunn was the lone no vote.

  • Dunn declined interview requests Wednesday. He sent a prepared statement that did not seem to clarify his position.

  • With Schrier almost sure to advance through the August primary, there will be pressure among the Republicans to stake out further right positions, to attract conservative primary voters.

KUOW: Abortion issue could decide Democrat Kim Schrier’s fate in Washington’s closest congressional race 
David Hyde
May 11, 2022

  • This week, the King County Council voted 8-1 to express support for abortion rights in the wake of a leaked draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which would open the door for states to outlaw abortion. Only one county council member voted against the measure: Reagan Dunn.

  • For her part, Schrier called the draft Supreme Court ruling, “a dark day for women, and shocking for women older than me who lived through a time when this right was not constitutional.”

  • As a member of Congress, Schrier also voted in favor of federal law that would codify Roe v Wade and legalize abortion nationwide. A companion bill in the U.S. Senate is expected to fail for a second time this week.

  • [Reagan Dunn] said he is opposed to a federal bill to codify Roe v Wade. He said the federal government should not pass any law to protect or ban abortion.

KING5: Could overturning Roe v. Wade impact local elections in Washington state?
Chris Daniels
May 11, 2022

  • The issue became more contentious on Tuesday when Reagan Dunn, one of Schrier’s challengers, was the lone “no” vote on a non-binding King County Council resolution backing women’s reproductive rights. Dunn gave no reason for the “no” vote on Tuesday and shed little light on Wednesday. He previously indicated he is pro-choice.

  • Democrats were quick to react, with Democratic Party Chair Tina Podlodowski tweeting, “Let’s be clear @washdems, Reagan Dunn betrays and demeans the women of CD8 with this vote, to grovel in the mud with his other far-right GOP challengers.”

  • The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee issued a statement saying, in part, “Make no mistake: Reagan Dunn would be a reliable vote for Republicans in Congress to ban abortion and eliminate women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions.”

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